The effect of nutritional education on primary school students nutritional behaviour in school canteens (Exhibit, Ankara province, Şereflikoçhisar district)

Nutrition is one of the most important environmental factors having impacts on health. Therefore, adequate and balanced nutrition is necessary for everybody, particularly for children. In this research it is aimed that students? level of basic knowledge on adequate and balanced nutrition and their behaviors be improved and developed towards the desired direction by means of a programmed dietetics.The research has been conducted between the years of 2008 and 2010. Total 80 students, 43 girls and 37 boys, have been questioned in the research. Two groups [ Group I = students and their parents (n=40); Group II = students only (n=40)] have been created within the scope of the research and having provided questionnaire form to the said two group, socio-demographic characteristics and certain nutrition habits of the parents and students? level of nourishment knowledge (threpsology) and habits have been determined, and their anthropometric measurements have been made. And then, dietetics (nutrition training) has been provided to the two groups for a period of two months. At the end of the dietetics questionnaire form has been given to the groups again and their anthropometric measurements have been made again. One month later they were again requested to ask the questionnaire form and thus sustainability/permanency condition of the nutrition training has been evaluated.According to findings of the research; students? average age is 10.3 ± 0.80 years, average height 139.1± 6.39 cm, average weight 34.3 ± 7.53 and average of Body Mass Index (BMI) is 17.8 ± 2.90 kg/m2. Body Mass Index of 61.2% of the students has been found within normal limits. Before the training, 6.2% of adolescents has been found very weak (>5.percentile) and 73.8% however has been found normal (16-< 85. percentile). After the training however 2.5% of them has been found very weak (<5. percentile) and 80.0% found normal (16-<85. percentile). In other words, after the training it has been seen that students? anthropometric measurements have been approached to the reference anthropometric measurement values in reference to those before the training.Average scores of total nourishment knowledge of students before the training have been found in the group-I as 80.9 ± 10.31, and in the group-II as 76.7±10.38. After the training however these values have been found respectively as 89.9±5.55 in Group-I and as 85.0±6.48 in the Group-II. While average scores of total nourishment knowledge of parents before the training has been 51.8±4.97, same has been found as 63.3± 3.43 after the training. It has been observed that post-training total nourishment knowledge scores of both the students and the parents have been increased in reference to the scores found before the training.For the purpose of providing to children the habit of having breakfast, preventing them to skip meals and conversion of their nutrition knowledge to behavior, ?Feeding Times? within certain period of times should be arranged at all schools and dietetics (nourishment training) should be provided to students and parents within these period of times by means of various entertaining and amusing activities.Key Words: Adolescents, Nutrition, Nutrition Education, Eating Habits, Students.